Send me email updates about messages I've received on the site and the latest news from The CafeMom Team.
By signing up, you certify that you are female and accept the Terms of Service and have read the
Privacy Policy.

Patients suffering from cancer, AIDS and other chronic or debilitating illnesses could use marijuana medicinally under a bill passed by the state Senate this afternoon.

New Jersey would become the 14th state to have a medical marijuana law, which would allow patients to keep six marijuana plants and one ounce for personal use.

State Sen. Nicholas P. Scutari, D-Linden, said the legislation he sponsored was as "an avenue of last resorts'' for patients suffering from nausea, chronic pain, wasting syndrome and other ailments.

"This is not the legalization of marijuana for recreational use,'' Scuteri said. "We're not talking about thrill seekers and drug addicts here.''

Physicians would diagnose a patient as having a debilitating medical condition. The patient would then obtain a photo registry card issued by the state Department of Health and Senior Services so they could obtain marijuana from an alterative medicine center.

State Sen. Gerald Cardinale, R-Cresskill, was among several Republicans who opposed the bill, claiming it was written too broadly. Cardinale said he didn't object to the concept, but said that "a very small percentage'' of users in states that allow medical marijuana are patients the law is intended to aid.

"Moderate use of marijuana causes brain cells to die,'' Cardinale said. "That's why the federal government made marijuana forbidden.''

After the voting Monday, State Sen. Loretta Weinberg, a co-sponsor of the legislation, said she supported it because it could give relief to chronically ill patients who were not benefiting from pain-relief prescriptions.

Weinberg noted that this weekend was the 10th anniversary of her husband's death following a long illness. Hospice nurses provided morphine, but her husband wasn't able to remain conscious, she Weinberg, D-Teaneck.

"To get relief and still be able to communicate would have been much better,'' she said.

Opponents of the measure vowed to fight the proposal in the Assembly.

The bill passed 22 to 16, mostly along partisan lines. Five Republicans voted for it. Two Essex County senators abstained from voting.

I think it should be legalized for both medical and recreational purposes. I'm not a marijuana smoker. But all the medications that I am on has so many side affects,I don't know which one scares me the most my illness or the side affects. Marijuana has been in this country for so long anyway. Marijuana is like everything else in this world,some will abuse it and others will respect it. But I don't believe that marijuana smoking makes people want to do harder drugs. People will do,what they want to do. If parents are doing crack in front of their kids,those kids are not going to start with smoking marijuana first. If it would help someone reduce pain or relaxes them so the pain isn't so bad. Why not make it legal? I'm on a state regulated pain patch. Which means the state is notified everytime my prescription is filled. I change my patch when it's time to every 3 days and I can not hand in another prescription for a month. But how does the state know in that month time if I'm abusing my patch? I would only be screwing myself up in the long run if I did.,so I don't. And that would be the same thing with the marijuana. But the side affects would be less dangerous.

This is interesting as my dh and I were just watching a show the other night about the pot in america. We come from the Pot capital of America Mendocino CA. Also known as the Emerald Triangle. Almost everyone we know up there smokes it. We have not smoked it since before kids. I think it should be legal especially because this show we watched interviewed the guys in the task force that go up in the helicopters, and they were flat out asked if they were winning the war, he plainly said NO. They spend billions of dollars each year and it hasnt changed. In fact there is more and more being grown, transported all across the US. I think its time to make it legal just because theres no point in it being illegal. It hasnt stopped anyone from growing, smoking, dealing or transporting at all. It has made the demand greater and people are becoming very rich off of it. I know one person from Northern Ca that makes about $200,000.00 A MONTH yes a month. So to me it causes people to act out trying to make the money to buy it, causing more crime than if it were legal and people could get it easier.

shouldnt it be in some kind of dosage form ? so you know how much you are getting.. and that the quality is consistent ? i hate any smoking, so there should be other ways to get it in your system.. i think it's a good idea, since it helps for say nausea, and being really sick..

yup it should be..for both usages...this is becasue it is just an herb...there are things that are must worse out there. Plus Pot can help bring people to eat which is great for cancer and aids patients. My Mother died from cancer..the only reason why she didn't smoke pot ws because it was illegal..but now you can for medical here in the state of michigan..5 years too late...

I would also like to add that in CA it is medically legal, but do you know how easy it is to get a medical card? Almost everyone that smokes pot for recreation has one. Its nothing to get one, so why not just eliminate peoples time and let it be completely legal?

THC comes in pill form and has the same effects...why is there no push for this to be used and legal? I don't understand why it has to be the plant. I don't really mind the plant per se....but I just don't understand why it can't be the pill...

Send me email updates about messages I've received on the site and the latest news from The CafeMom Team.
By signing up, you certify that you are female and accept the Terms of Service and have read the
Privacy Policy.